“BROTHERMAN DICTATOR OF DISCIPLINE”

CLASS NOTES
SOULFUL HEALTHY DISHES KEY
TO CELEBRITY CHEF’S SUCCESS
By Eric Christopher Webb ’91
For celebrity chef and lifestyle guru Amaris Jones ’95, soulful
healthy dishes have been one of the key ingredients to her success.
Still, her journey wasn’t a typical one. After receiving a bachelor’s
degree in English Communications from Lincoln in 1995, she joined
the Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s management trainee program, but two
years later decided to start a career in property management. That resulted
in a job transfer to South Florida, where she eventually fused her family recipes as well as her
love of hosting and throwing a party to start a lifestyle management company 15 years ago.
As an entrepreneur, she worked with the likes of music industry mogul figures, Sean “Puff
Daddy” Combs, Timbaland and others. And while Jones had originally honed her culinary
skills and love of lifestyle at family gatherings and at her father’s church on Philadelphia’s
famed South Street, she credits her ability to navigate her unique career path to her
Lincoln experience.
“There is no greater college experience than the Lincoln experience,” Jones says. “Lincoln
prepared me to overcome challenges I would encounter as a black female entering the
workplace, and I’m grateful for the life lessons Lincoln taught me.”
During Art Basel 2012 — a premier, annual arts event in Miami’s Basel beach — Martha
Stewart famously praised her pork-free soul food at Jones’ Miami Beach restaurant, South
Street, where she also counted NBA star Lebron James among her fans. Unfortunately, the
Motown-inspired Design District eatery abruptly closed in Spring 2013 despite being a
hit with celebrities. That venture was a collaboration between Jones and Gigi restaurateur
Amir Ben-Zion.
That same year, she was asked to participate in the first Chicken Coupe event during the SOBE
Food and Wine Festival sponsored by the Food Network and soon after, Reebok introduced her
to cook for Hip Hop artist Rick Ross, who had started an intensive CrossFit program.
As his personal chef, Jones helped Ross shed 80 pounds by offering a menu unique to his
tastes while incorporating healthier versions adding more vegetables to his diet, providing
high protein, but no carbs at all.
“We did that for a good year, and the pounds just came off,” she said in an interview with the
Miami New Times. “Of course, he had his exercise regimen every single day. Everything I
cooked for him is organic. One of his favorite meals is grass-fed lamb chops, a caesar salad –
which he called ‘Boss salad’ – and honey spiced pears as a snack.”
In Ross’ 24-minute Reebok Rebook video, the Philadelphia native is seen in his kitchen as she
prepares a meal and a “Ross punch” – sugar-free lemonade, sweetened with fresh fruit.
Aside from her gig with Ross, this Art Basel season she also teamed with chef Irie Spice to
cook for the Lexus Uncorked Miami Food & Wine event as well as curated a private Art Basel
dinner, where she served organic fried chicken, caviar and champagne.
Most recently, she was chosen as the first American chef in the Food for Diplomacy program
sponsored by the Hollings Center. As part of the program, she was flown to Istanbul, Turkey,
where she curated a soulful dinner at Kadir Has University.
In multiple interviews, she hints at two or more great food projects, but is not offering details.
Currently, Jones boasts a client list which includes: Chase Bank, Timbaland, Chris Bosh,
Mario Chalmers, Sean Combs, Lenny Kravitz and many other celebrities and corporations. L
36 LION
Photos provided by Amaris Jones